Duplex mailing envelope



March 31, 1925'.

1,531,881 J. SAWDON DUPLEX MAILING ENVELOPE Filed March 6, 1923 lfimniom wag 27% Jazz/don Patented Mar. 3 1, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH SAW'DON, OF QUINCY, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO DU-PLEX ENVELOPE COR- PORATION, OF QUINCY, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

DUPLEX MAILING ENVELOPE.

Application filed March 6, 1923. Serial No..623,095.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JosErH SAWDON, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Quincy, Adams County, Illinois, have inl vented a certain new and useful Improvement in Duplex Mailing Envelopes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to duplex mailing envelopes of the kind in which a relatively large compartment is provided for printed matter or other matter less than first class, and in which a smaller compartment is provided for other matter, all in one unitary envelope.

Generally stated, the object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved construction whereby the smaller compartment, although sealed on the face of the envelope, is nevertheless accessible at some other point, preferably inside of the envelope, so that when printed form letters, or other matter less than first class, are enclosed in said smaller. compartment, the contents of both compartments are accessible for the purpose of inspection by the postoifice officials, in a manner that will comply with the rules of the department.

It is also an object to provide certain details of construction and combinations tending to increase the general efliciency and the desirability of a duplex mailing envelope of this particular character. I

To these and other useful ends the invention consists inm'atters hereinafter set forth and claimed and shown in the accompanyin drawings in which igure 1 is a plan view of one of the blanks from which the body -or larger-compartment of the envelope is made, showing the inside surface thereof.

Figure 2 is a plan of the blank which forms the inner wall of the smaller compartment.

Figure 3 is a face view, or a.view showing the address side, which is ordinarily regarded as the front side of an envelope, but on a larger scale, of a duplex envelope embodying the principles of the invention.

Figure 4 is an enlarged horizontal section on 1ine44 in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is an enlarged vertical section on line 55of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5, showinganother form of the invention.

As thus illustrated, the body of the envelope, and the larger compartment thereof, are formed from the blank shown in Fi ure 1, which comprises the front wall 1, the aps.

2 and 3 which, when fastened, together form the back wall of the envelope, and also the end flaps 4 and 5, the latter being folded over upon the flaps 2 and 3 to close and seal one end of the envelope. preferably merely tucked inside the end'of the envelope, after the printed matter or The flap 4 is other matter less than first class is inserted in the larger compartment thus formed.

'The front wall 1 is provided with a slot 6 clearly in Figure 5, after inserting the flap 10 upwardly throu h the slot 6 previously mentloned. This ap 10 is gummed and when turned down as shown in Figure 5 can be secured to the front wall 1 of the envelope, as shown in Figure 3, thereby to seal the-top of the smaller compartment 11 which is formed between the front wall 1 and the body portion 12 of the smaller blank. It will be seen, however, that this pocket 11 is open at the lower edge thereof, and at one or both ends, (the end adjacent the flap 5 may be glued to the'inner surface of the front wall 1, by a gummed surface, as indicated by the vertical dotted line at the right in Fig. 2) so that the post oifice inspectors can pull out the flap 4 and thus have access to both the large compartment 13 and the said smaller compartment 11, in a manner that will be readily understood. At the same time, however, the smaller compartment shows on the face of the envelope as being sealed, and the flap 10 is preferably provided with means 14 to attract the attention of the person receiving the envelope, to indicate the relative importance of the matter enclosed in the small compartment. ment, preferably at the upper right hand On the face of the large compart corner thereof, a space 15 is provided for postage suflicient to cover the entire contents of the envelope. The smaller compartment is preferably outlined on the front of the envelope, as by a black line 16,

or by any suitable means.

As shown in Figure 6, the smaller compartment 11 is sealed at its lower edge at 17 and it may also be sealed at one end, but left open at the other end, adjacent the flap 4:, as previously described, so that the contents of both compartments may be inspected by the postoflice officials.

From the foregoing it will be seen that a duplex envelope is provided having a relatively large compartment for anything which may be sent through the mails, and having a smaller compartment for a form letter, or for something else of relatively greater importance than the content-s of the larger compartment, or which for some reason itis desired to segregate from the contents of the large compartment. Thus the smaller compartment and its contents attract the attention of the person receiving the envelope, in the desired manner, but at the same time the entire contents of the envelope are subject to postage less than first class, in view of the fact that both compartments are open so that the contents of each compartment are subject to inspection, and hence only things which are subject to less than first class postage are enclosed in the envelope for transmission through the mails.

In practice the outside surface of the flap 4 may have the words For postal inspection of smallercompartment, pull out this flap printed thereon, in such a manner that an inspector will know how to obtain access to the contentsof the smaller compartment, notwithstanding that this smaller compartment has the appearance of being sealed on the face or address side of the envelope as a whole. Also. the back of the envelope may have printed thereon the words See important enclosure on other side, and in this way the duplex character of the euvelope is made noticeable andconspicious. The contents of the two compartments may be subject to the same rate of postage, but at the same time they are segregated in separate compartments and the contents of the smaller compartment are, to the general public, apparently sealed up, just as a'first class letter would be, but the postoflice employees understand and know how to inspect the contents of both compartments.

It will be seen that the smaller compartment, by reason of the flap 10, not only simulates the appearance of being sealed, but also is in fact entirely sealed on the face or address side of the envelope. In other words, when the flap 10 is sealed, the smaller compartment is then inaccessible anywhere in the manner explained.

on the face or front of the envelope, and the face or front of an envelope is, of course, the

side upon which theaddress is placed. Nevertheless, notwithstanding the actual sealing of the smaller compartment everywhere on the address side of the envelope, both compartments are accessible for inspection of the contents thereof, and inspection of each compartment is controlled or on the face or address side of the envelope,

whenready to be deposited in the mails. Before the envelope is used, the one compartment, therefore, is open at two points,

for it is not only open inside the envelope,

as explained, but is also open on the face or address side of the envelope. When the envelope is received by the addressee, the smaller compartment has the appearance on the face-of the envelope of having been open to receive its contents and thereafter sealed. The addressee may not notice the fact that the smaller compartment is open inside, but this is not important, for the intent and purpose is to merely leave all compartments open for inspection of the contents thereof by the postoflice employees. The envelopes can be sold to the users with the smaller compartment either open or closed, on the face or address side of the envelope, inasmuch as the flap 10 can be sealed by the manufacturer, or by the user. In any event,

. when the envelope reaches the addressee, the

fia 10 in reality merely simulates means for sea ling the small compartment, or means for opening the small compartment, for while having the appearance of being sealed the small compartment is in reality unsealed and is open, so that its contents may be inspected Thus a letter placed in the smaller compartment has the attractive and otherwise useful appearance of being sealed, while being transmitted through the mails, but may in reality be merely a printed or form letter which, under the rules of the postoflice, must be left open for inspection.

What I claim as my invention is 1. A duplex mailing envelope comprising, when ready to be deposited in the mails, a plurality of compartments all of which are open for inspectionof the contents thereof, having a loose flap affording access to all of said...compartments and means'outside to give one compartment the appearance of having been open to receive its contents and when ready to be deposited in the mails, a plurality of compartments one of which has the appearance on the address side of the envelope of having been open to receive the contents and thereafter sealed, and is in fact entirely sealed on the address side, but all of which compartments are open for inspection of the contents thereof.

3. An envelope structure as specified in claim 2, said compartment which has the appearance of being sealed on the face of the envelope being open at an edge thereof inside of the envelope."

4. An envelope structure as specified in claim 2, said compartment which has the appearance of being sealed being smaller than the other compartment, and the smaller compartment being located on the address side of the envelope, said smaller compartment having a sealing flap for its upper edge, which flap gives the smaller compartment the appearance of being entirely sealed, and an address space being below said flap.

5. An envelope structure as specified in claim 2, said apparently sealed compartment being located on the address side of the envelope, with a place for the address within the area of the apparently sealed compartment, and the envelope having a loose flap at one end which can be pulled out to afford access to the apparently sealed compartment.

6. An envelope structure as specified in claim 2, said apparently sealed compartment being smaller than the other compartment, and this smaller compartment being formed by the front wall of the envelope and by a smaller inner wall, so that the smaller compartment is within the area of the larger compartment, and having a flapon the front of the envelope to give said smaller compartment the appearance of being sealed, with the place for the address below said flap, and means at one end of the envelope to afford access to both compartments, so that matter less than first class may be enclosed in each compartment.

7. The improved duplex mailing envelope having a relatively large and a relatively small compartment, one within the area of the other, and means comprising a single loose flap, whereby the contents of each compartment may be inspected, and means on the address side to give one compartment the appearance of having been open to receive its contents and thereafter sealed when the envelope is ready to be deposited in the mails, substantially as shown and described.

8. An envelope structure as specified in claim 2, said compartment which has the appearance of being sealed on the face of the envelope being open at an edge thereof.

9. An envelope structure as specified in claim 2, having a place for the address within,the area of the apparently sealed com- )artment and the envelo e havin an'o ening concealed inside thereof to afford access contents thereof, said compartment which has the appearance of being sealed on the face of the envelope being open at an edge thereof inside of the envelope.

11. A. duplex mailing envelope comprising a plurality of compartments one of which has the appearance on the face of the envelope of being sealed and all of which compartments are open for inspection of the contents thereof, said apparently sealed compartment being located on the address side of the envelope, with a place for the address within the area of the apparently sealed compartment, and the envelope having a loose flap at one end which can be pulled out to afford access to the apparently sealed compartment; 4

12. A duplex mailing envelope comprising a plurality of compartments one of which has the appearance on the face of the envelope of being sealed and all of which compartments are open for inspection of the contents thereof, said apparently sealed compartment being smaller than the other compartment, and this smaller compartment being formed by the front wall of the envelope and by a smaller inner wall, so that the smaller compartment is within the area of the larger compartment, and having a flap on the front of the envelope to give said smaller compartment the appearance of belng sealed, with the place for the address below said flap, and means atone end of the envelope to afford access to both compartments, so that matter less than first class may be enclosed in each compartment.

13. A duplex mailing envelope comprising, when ready for the mails, a plurality of compartments one of which has the appearance of having been open on the face of the envelope to receive the contents thereof, and of being sealed, and all of which I compartments are open for inspection of the contents thereof, said compartment which has the appearance of being'sealed on the face of the envelope being openat' an edge thereof. p

14. A duplex mailing envelope comprising a plurality of compartments one of which has the appearance on the face of the envelope of being sealed and all of which compartments are open for inspection of the contents thereof, said apparently sealed compartment being smaller than the other compartment, being formed by a sheet I can bepulled out toafford access to the ing a plurality which is loose at an edge thereof inside the envelope, thereb to form a concealed opening for inspectlon of the contents of the smaller compartment, and the smaller compartment'being located on the address side of the envelope, said smaller compartment having a sealing flapfor its upper edge, which .fiap gives the smaller compartment the appearance of being entirely sealed, and an address space being provided below said'flap.

15. A duplex mailing envelope comprising a plurality of compartments one of which has the appearance on the face of the envelope of being sealed and all of which compartments are open for inspection of the contents thereof, saidapparently sealed compartment being located within the envelope and on the address side thereof, with a place for the address within the area of the apparently sealed compartment, and the en velope having a loose flap at one end which apparently sealed compartment, one edge of the smaller compartment being left loose for this purpose.

16. A duplex mailing envelope comprisof compartments one of which has the appearance of being sealed and all of which compartments are open for inspection of the contents thereof, the front wall of the envelope having aslot, said ap parently sealed compartment being smaller than the other compartment, and this smaller compartment being formed by the front wall of the envelope and by a smaller inner wall, so that the smaller compartment is within the area of the larger compartment, and having a flap formed integral with said inner wall and extending through said slot to give said smaller compartment the appearance of being sealed on the face of the envelope, with the place for the address below said flap, and means at one end of the envelope to afford access to both compartments, so that matter less than first class may be enclosed in each compartment.

17. A duplex. mailing envelope comprising a plurality of compartments one of which has the appearance on the face of the envelope of being sealed and all of which compartments are open for inspection of the contents thereof, said apparently sealed compartment being indicated on the address side of the envelope, with a place for the address within the area of the apparently sealed compartment, and the ing means to afford access to the apparently sealed compartment.

18. A duplex mailing envelope comprising a plurality of compartments one of which is open at one point only for inspection of the contents thereof, before the en-' velope is ready to be deposited in the mails, and another of which compartments is open at two places, together with means for sealing this other compartment at one open place, whereby the contents of both compartments are accessible when the envelope is ready to be deposited in the mails.

19. A duplex envelope comprising a plurality of compartments one of which is really left open for inspection of the con tents thereof, when the envelope is ready to be deposited in the mails, but having means on the address side of the" envelope -to simulate a sealed compartment.

JOSEPH SAWDON.

envelope hav- 

